Trace-fastener.



No. 67l,292. Patented Apr. 2, |90l.

C. M. NICHDLS &. 'C. M. BURNETT.

` TsAcs FAsTENgn.

(Application led Aug. 2! 1900.) (llo Mudel.)`

W/ TNE SSE S CHARLIE M. NICHOLS AND CHARLES M. BURNETT, OF BEAUMONT, TEXAS.`

TRAC E-'FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 671,292, dated April 2, 1901.

Application led August 21, 1900. Serial No. 27|58'7. (No model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom, it muy con/cern:

Be it known that we, CHARLIE M. NICHOLS and CHARLES M. BURNETT, citizens of the United States, residing at Beaumont, in the county of Jefferson and State of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Trace-Fasteners, ot which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to trace-fasteners; and the objects of the same are to provide a simple, efficient, and reliable fastenerwhich will when iu use, at all times and under all Circumstances, hold the trace in connection with the end of the whiflietree and which will prevent undue wear on the cockeye or hole in the end of the trace. We attain these objects by means of the construction shown in the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure lis a perspective view of the end of a whifetree and the trace secured thereto by a fastener made in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is a detail plan view of our spring-fastener applied to a whiffietree having an ordinary cockeye fastener thereon. Fig. 3 is a side view of the end of the whiftletree shown in Fig. 1 with the trace removed. In said drawings the numeral 1 designates a whiflietree of ordinary construction having a rounded outer end 2 andtape'ring iiattened sides 3. A notch 4 may be formed in therear edge of the Whitlietree. Secured to the front edge of the whitdetree is my spring trace-fastener, which consists of a single piece of spring-wire of the proper gage bent to form a fastening-loop 5, a spiral coil 6, and a terminal end 7, extending outward in the same plane as the whiiiietree. -The fastening-loop 5 is provided with two openings 8 8 for the attaching screws 9 9, said openings being formed by bending the wire-strands outward, while the strands between the openings are brought together at l0 to lie in contact or substantially so. One terminal end of the wire is then bent around the other strand, as at 11, and from thence saidstrand is continued to form a spiral coil 6 to give greater resiliency to the spring, and from the coil the strand is bent into a curved arm 13 and thence continued to near the end, where it is bent at right angles to form the retaining-finger 7. The curved arm 13 normally lies at a distance from the whifetree, and the finger 7 is located substantially in line with the outer1 wall ofthe notch 4 in the rear edge of the Whitfietree.

To connect the trace to the whiftletree, the eye 14 therein is engaged at its front portion 15 with the retaining-finger '7, and the rear end of the eye is then pushed over the rounded end of the whiitletree. To detach the trace, the spring-arm 13 may be compressed and the trace pulled around the outer end of the whifiielree and then detached from the finger 7.

It will be noted that when the trace is connected to the whifiietree end the spring-arm 13 pushes the trace toward the front and holds the eye 14 steadily in engagement with the rear edge ofthe whiiiietree, and thus preventing the eye from shifting about and wearing the eye and the end of the Whiftletree. It will also be apparent that our device is simple and eficient for its purpose and that it would be practically impossible to detach the trace from the whiiiietree accidentally while in use, as the spring is located at a point not liable to be compressed by accidental means and the trace-eye at the same moment be pushed in a curved line outward oft the whifietree.

An vordinary cockeye, as shown in Fig. 2, may be secured to the end of a Whiftletree by our fastener in a manner to be secured and whichwill not rattle.

Having thus fully described our invention, what WeA claim is- A trace-fastener consisting of a single piece of spring-wire bent to form a fastening-loop, a plurality of openings in said loop for fasteners to secure the device to the front edge of a whiftletree, a spiral coil formed in said Wire, a curved arm extending outward from the coil at an angle to the Whiiiietree, and the terminal end ot' said curved arm being formed into a retaining-nger for the traceeye, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses. l

CHARLIE M. NICHOLS. CHARLES M. BURNETT. Witnesses:

J. T. BHATY, E. L. WALL. 

